2. INTRODUCTION Adam Smith International has been holding Development Talks since 2014 and they have become an established, invitation-only forum that brings together senior decision-makers across Government, the private sector and development community. In August 2018, Adam Smith International in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives and the African Cotton and Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) invited apparel and textiles sector stakeholders from government, industry and development partners to assess the status of implementation of initiatives in the sector, discuss their alignment to the current Government policy of the Big 4 Action Plan and the apparel and textiles industry’s contribution. The aim was to propose specific and practical actions that can be taken across the cotton, textile and apparel value chain to attract investment and promote manufacturing in Kenya, in line with the Big 4 Action Plan, and address how to more effectively incorporate SMEs into the value chain. The talk continued the discussion from the previous event held in March 2017 that explored how Kenya can become more competitive in the global apparel and textiles market. The keynote speaker was Ms. Betty Maina, Principal Secretary State Department for Industrialization, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives. The panellists included: Mr Dominic Ngugi – Spinning Manager, Thika Cloth Mills Ltd Dr. Charles Waturu – Director, Horticulture Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) Ms. Akinyi Odongo – Creative Director, Akinyi Odongo Kenya Mr. Fanuel Kidenda – Chief Executive Officer, Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) Kenya Mr Nelson Gitau – Assistant Director, TVET and National Coordinator, East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), State Department of Vocational and Technical Training (TVET), Ministry of Education The Moderator was Patrick Obath, Managing Consultant, Eduardo and Associates; Associate Director, Adam Smith International. This report provides a summary of the key messages that emerged from the discussions.
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